Responsive-DNA hydrogel based intelligent materials: Preparation and applications

For stimuli-responsive DNA based hydrogels, we have summarized different strategies for their synthesis and response to certain physicochemical triggers as well their applications and future research prospects in this review. • Describes different preparation strategies for responsive DNA-based hydrogels. • Responsiveness towards various physical, chemical, and enzyme striggers. • Summarizes applications on cell imaging, drug delivery, environmental protection. • Summarizes applications on intelligent devices & robotics, and nano-biomaterials. • Anticipates future research prospects. Exploring the interface areas of biology and material science facilitates the synthesis of intelligent materials useful for a variety of applications. Deoxyribonucleic acid (all-DNA and DNA-hybrid) materials have been used extensively to produce soft materials (hydrogels) of unique properties. DNA hydrogels respond to certain physicochemical triggers (pH, temperature, light, magnetic field, metal ions, chemical compounds, enzymes, other biomolecules) and undergo reversible-switchable phase transitions finding their scope in the fields of biosensing and 3D cell imaging, drug delivery, cell cultures and tissue engineering, immune-modulation, cell-free protein synthesis, intelligent materials, environmental protection, and nano-biomaterials. In this review, we have highlighted different strategies for the synthesis of stimuli-responsive DNA hydrogels and summarized their applications as well as future research prospects.